Noble Consort Mei

Noble Consort Mei (玫貴妃 徐氏/玫贵妃 徐氏; 1835 – 20 December 1890) was a consort of Xianfeng Emperor.

Life

Family background
Noble Consort Mei fishing with Noble Lady Chun

Noble Consort Mei was a Han Chinese Booi Aha of the Plain Yellow Banner Xu clan, a branch of a prominent Šumuru clan.

Father: Chengyi (诚意), served as an official (领催，pinyin: lingcui)[1]

Daoguang era

Noble Consort Mei was born in 1835.

Xianfeng era

Lady Xu entered the Forbidden city in 1853 and was granted a title "First Class Female Attendant Mei" (玫常在, "mei" meaning "rose jade"). Lady Xu was described as a beautiful and elegant woman. Thus, she was favoured by Xianfeng Emperor. In May 1854, she was promoted to "Noble Lady Mei" (玫贵人)[2].

In 1855, Noble Lady Mei was demoted for the first time to a "First Class Female Attendant Mei" from reasons unknown.[3] At that time, she vented her anger on the palace maid. While the severe punishment was being performed, Lady Xu was joking with an eunuch. That incident infuriated Xianfeng Emperor so that she was demoted to a chosen maid.[4]

The demotion meant exclusion from the imperial harem because rank "chosen maid" was not included in the official list. Her clan was downgraded to Booi Aha (bondservants) in one month. Xianfeng Emperor restored lady Xu as "First Class Female Attendant Mei" on 25 July 1856, and to “Noble Lady Mei" shortly after the previous promotion. [5] In March 1858, she gave birth to the second imperial prince, who would die prematurely on 19 March 1858. Noble Lady Mei was promoted to "Concubine Mei" (玫嫔) in April 1858.

Tongzhi era

In 1861, after the ascension to the throne of Tongzhi Emperor, Concubine Mei was promoted to "Consort Mei" (玫妃). In 1873, her son was posthumously honored as "Prince Min of the Second Rank" (悯郡王, "min" meaning "sympathy"). On 8 December 1874, Consort Mei was elevated to "Noble Consort Mei" (玫贵妃).

Guangxu era

Noble Consort Mei died on 20 December 1890. Her coffin was temporarily placed at Tiancun Immortal Palace and later interred in the Ding Mausoleum in the Eastern Qing tombs alongside with Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangjing.[6]

Titles

玟常在→玟貴人→玟常在→官女子→玟貴人→玟嬪..玟妃→玟貴妃

Issue
  • Prince Min of the Second Rank (憫郡王; 19 March 1858), second son
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References
  1. 爱新觉罗家族全书: 世系源流/"A holistic genealogy of Aisin-Gioro clan". 吉林人民出版社/Jilin State publisher. 1997. p. 419.
  2. 《宮中雜件》/ ”Inner palace archives".
  3. 王/ Wang, 德恒/ Deheng (1997). 北京的皇陵与王坟/ "Imperial tombs in Beijing". 中国城市出版社. p. 197. ISBN 9787507408379.
  4. 《欽定宮中現行則例》/"The rules of imperial harem", book 2. 文海出版社. 1979.
  5. 《清實錄‧穆宗毅皇帝實錄》，book 6.
  6. 《清實錄‧穆宗毅皇帝實錄》，book 373.
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